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Grants petition for declaratory ruling filed by Cumulus Media Inc

“Always have a backup” has been a mantra of radio engineers since the earliest days of broadcasting. Much time and energy has been spent developing disaster recovery plans that outline responses to fires, floods, tornadoes and other cataclysmic events.

But the outbreak of COVID-19 required most station employees, including air staff, to work at home for extended periods of time, a contingency that some engineers might wish they’d spent more time considering.

Lessons learned in the first weeks of the pandemic were discussed in an interesting episode of “This Week in Radio Tech (TWiRT),” hosted by Kirk Harnack, senior systems consultant for The Telos Alliance, and Chris Tobin, IP solutionist. They convened a special edition to talk about “Broadcast Continuity in a Pandemic,” sharing experiences in adapting station workflows and technology.

Codecs and Chromebooks
Geary Morrill is regional director of engineering at Alpha Media USA, an early adopter of the WideOrbit 4.0. He said that platform was being used by those working at home for remote access to the station via iPad and iPhone apps, mainly for recording and voice track activities.

Robbie Green, director of technical operations at Entercom Houston, said his employer created a work-from-home protocol for most staff, although air talent was still in the building. Should it become necessary for them to leave, equipment was set up so they can voice track from home. For the sports staff, he purchased a number of Comrex Opal IP Audio Gateways, as well as refurbished Chromebooks to equip remote kits.

Green said that the cluster’s building includes 600,000 feet of rentable space, of which the station occupies half. If someone working there were to become infected, building management would have to close the building for decontamination, so plans were developed for that eventuality.

A challenge facing many broadcasters, including Green, is how to handle the generation of logs. “Our traffic people have been working remotely for over a week, and program directors can also do logs remotely. We have a secure portal where they can dump everything into our WideOrbit system.”

Tom McGinley, chief engineer at KUFM(FM/TV), engineering manager at Townsquare Media in Missoula, Mont., and Radio World technical advisor, said that a global pandemic occurs about once every hundred years. If this outbreak had happened 20 years ago, he said, broadcasters wouldn’t have had the internet and IP connectivity we have today. The challenge would have been much greater for stations merely to stay on the air.

With no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in his area at the time of the podcast, McGinley said buildings were still accessible for talent. Traffic was being managed off-site through an internet connection. Plans were underway to do live shows remotely via Comrex Access gear, along with RCS NexGen iPush and Remote. McGinley added that the stations were already planning an upgrade to RCS Zetta, which has more flexibility for remote broadcast.

“This is What We Do”
Consultant Gary Kline applauded the efforts of broadcast engineers worldwide. Rising to unexpected challenges and having solutions ready before management knows to ask is “what we do,” he said. Kline praised codec manufacturers whose shipping departments worked overtime in March and April to make sure broadcasters got the tools they needed to stay on the air.

He said that while there has been growing awareness in recent years of the need to prepare for disasters, not all contingencies have been addressed.

“Many stations would have emergency generators as well as backup IP and internet facilities,” he said, describing conversations with clients, “but I would ask ‘What if you have to leave your building?’ and they weren’t so sure about that. Next time, we’ll be so much better prepared for something like this, so there is a silver lining to the story.”

“I tell everyone, it’s just a remote broadcast, only from your home.” — Jim Armstrong

Jim Armstrong, director of eastern U.S. sales at the Telos Alliance, has fielded a lot of questions about accessing equipment such as consoles off-site.

“I tell everyone, it’s just a remote broadcast, only from your home.” One aspect that sometimes gets overlooked is that most AoIP consoles can be operated remotely, and routing switchers can also be controlled off-site.

Several software products are available to fill these needs. There’s third-party software from IP Studios in Paris that runs IP tablet software. He discussed Axia SoftSurface, a program that connects to an engine or console to control the mix bus and faders, and Axia Pathfinder Core Pro, a development tool that allows users to create a virtual Fusion console.

He praised radio engineers for their handling of the situation and joked that a person is not really in radio until they’ve slept at the station, a rite of passage.

Bill Bennett, media solutions manager for ENCO Systems, talked about how stations could access and use their automation playout systems remotely.

For some time, he said, automation has meant servers in the studios plus some form of offsite backup. The cloud has experienced explosive growth over the past 15 years. Engineers have gotten comfortable with the idea of the cloud as a place to store data offsite and as part of their backup plans.

ENCO’s current automation playout system has a web interface, the front of which is HTML5-compliant so it can run on a browser. At the same time, the software is running on a virtual machine in the cloud.

Another bit of software keeps the virtual machine in sync with the studio machine over a VPN line.

An important consideration is keeping viruses that might infect the studio machine from reaching the virtual machine in the cloud. Harnack noted that Paravel Systems’ Rivendell 3.0, the open source automation playout system, is capable of running from the cloud during disasters.

With this type of system in place, all that is necessary in emergencies is to access the virtual machine via a laptop, and route a stream to the transmitter.

Also participating in the conversation were Mike Sprysenski, regional director of engineering at iHeartMedia, and Bryan Waters, chief engineer at Cumulus Media, Atlanta. The podcast can be accessed at thisweekinradiotech.com, or you can watch the full episode below.

Chris Tobin had the last word, talking about understanding workflow solutions. Air talent may be accustomed to working in front of a console and a stack of three audio devices and hotkeys to fire things off. They won’t have those at home and may experience initial stress if everything is different. The goal of the engineer should be to know the workflow of your announcers off-site, and try to make it as similar to the studio environment as possible.

Lightning Round
Harnack asked panelists for words of wisdom that could fit in 30 seconds or less.

Bill Bennett — Use two-factor authentication for network authentication and file access. Yes, it’s more complicated and slows things down, but much more secure.

Gary Kline — Ask yourself who is your backup if you become sick or quarantined. Formally designate someone if you need to.

Geary Morrill — Keep an even keel and be patient with staff as they adapt to the unfamiliar. People will feed off your emotional state.

Jim Armstrong — Have essential spares on the shelf. Remember that you don’t really need it until you need it, and then you really do.

Mike Sprysenski — Remember to take care of yourself as you’re taking care of everybody else.

Bryan Waters — Keep it simple. Give people what they need to work from home, but don’t overwhelm or complicate.

Robbie Green — Create documentation that’s written for the non-technical person. Have someone do a test drive with it before you distribute.

Tom McGinley — Look for the silver linings as this situation winds down. Expect a new level of competence from stations as they revise disaster recovery plans.

To watch the full episode, click here.

The post Broadcast Continuity in a Pandemic appeared first on Radio World.

The author is membership program director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

The 2020 presidential election cycle is certain to be a fractious one. Even if the candidates and issues of the day were not heated enough, embers of foreign interference allegations during the 2016 race still linger. Recent incidents involving international entities in the noncommercial media space should be a reminder that it is necessary to handle particular issues delicately.

This week, PBS SoCal announced an investigation into a film it helped to fund, after PBS said the documentary did not meet the organization’s editorial standards. “Voices from the Frontline: China’s War on Poverty” was produced partly with the support of the CGTN TV network, a subsidiary of the China Media Group, which is supervised by the Communist Party of China’s publicity division.

Current points out funding relationships and conflicts of interest were raised as potential issues. The probe of the film is ongoing.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Four Zoom Tips for Community Radio]

Other recent issues highlight programming and content issues that any station might want to carefully observe.

Earlier this year, media reported on Radio Sputnik, widely regarded as a proxy for the Russian government, is now broadcasting on three Kansas City-area radio stations during drive time hours. “In the United States, talk radio on Sputnik covers the political spectrum from right to left, but the constant backbeat is that the United States is damaged goods,” one story notes. “They find much to dislike in the U.S., from the reporting on the coronavirus epidemic to the impeachment of Pres. Donald Trump, and they play on internal divisions as well.”

The Kansas City cluster told the press the stations carry Radio Sputnik because management thought the programming was good, and because a group working with Rossiya Segodnya, the Russian state media organization that operates Sputnik, is paying them to do so.

Last year, it was revealed in lobbying disclosures that Chinese telecommunications hardware manufacturer Huawei had retained program services from Las Vegas Public Radio, a low-power FM best known for suing CPB for not funding the station. Although the White House had previously shut Huawei out of the U.S. market amid trade skirmishes, the firm appears intent on improving its stature in America. The agreement would provide content to tell a different, presumably more favorable, story to audiences.

Over time, I have heard of similar issues at stations. Many times, the need at a particularly bootstrapped station is filling a proverbial hole. Someone offering reliable content on a daily and weekly basis is music to the ears of many. Sprinkle money into the discussion and it is not surprising that stations might be interested.

The problems are manifest. The perception that a station is airing propaganda can damage its reputation for years to come. Both conservatives and liberals today are worried about foreign interference in U.S. elections, with 72% of Americans believing there is a high likelihood of such occurring. These viewpoints could hurt a community radio organization’s fundraising going forward.

Whether you think these relationships are valuable for noncommercial media, because they tell a story our communities rarely hear, or find them to be problematic for the appearance of bias, such partnerships must go through rigorous review. Community radio can at times miss such assessments. However, stations would be smart to exercise caution, should such opportunities arrive.

The post Community Broadcaster: Under the Influence appeared first on Radio World.

What considerations should you weigh before reopening your studios?

Helpful guidance comes in the form of a document from the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing. While it targets recording and production studios, most of the advice has direct relevance to radio as well.

Just a sampling:

• Evaluate rooms in the studio facility and make necessary adjustments to ensure social distancing.
• Consider requiring individuals to wear cloth face coverings while inside the entire facility; in some parts of the country, face coverings may be required by law in outdoor areas as well.
• Have work that cannot be performed with face coverings take place in an isolation room or an otherwise empty studio.
• Consider limiting studio access to essential personnel or, at minimum, limit the number of visitors.
• You may choose to require staff or others to have their temperature taken with an infrared thermometer upon entry to the facility.
• Limit the number of people allowed to use elevators at once and consider requiring face coverings in elevators.
• Consider disinfecting footwear, or providing booties.
• Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces. Designate a staff person to be in charge.
• Microphones should be monitored and cleaned before and after all sessions.
• Consider HVAC filter cleaning and replacement.
• Shift staff and/or session schedules where possible to maximize social distancing.

Download the full list.

The post Planning a Studio Reopening? Recording Academy Has Some Tips appeared first on Radio World.

A new Radio World ebook reports on how radio organizations around the world responded and modified on-air and production operations when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted business.

In this special, free double-issue ebook, find out how major commercial and public broadcasters responded operationally to the pandemic.

Whether it’s a leading public station in New York, a massive radio network in Spain, a college station in Colorado, a commercial music cluster in California, an international radio news network or more, our sources all told us: Everything has changed.

Learn from them and from our sponsors about how stations solved problems, how manufacturers supported them and how these experts think radio operations have changed for good.

Access the ebook here or click on the cover image.

The post New Ebook Explores Broadcasting From Home appeared first on Radio World.

An Ohio broadcaster agreed to pay $8,000 as part of a consent decree after purchasing two licenses without consent from the Federal Communications Commission.

Earlier this year Media Bureau began investigating the assignment of station WTTF(AM) and FM translator W227BJ from Tiffin Broadcasting to BAS Broadcasting. Beginning in April 2014, Tiffin began the process of acquiring the licenses of the two stations, which were based in Tiffin, Ohio. Tiffin also entered into a Local Marketing Agreement for the two stations with BAS. At the time, it was agreed that Tiffin would retain full control of all operations, programming and personnel.

[Read: FCC Proposes Regulatory Fees for 2020 Amid Uncertain Media Marketplace]

In January 2015, Tiffin and BAS entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement in which BAS agreed to formally purchase the licenses and other assets from Tiffin. BAS began making a series of monthly payments in early 2015. The deal was in December 2019 when payments to Tiffin totaled $608,000.

But all this was done without commission consent, the FCC said.

In April 2020, Tiffin and BAS filed an application with the FCC disclosing the reassignment of the two stations. According to BAS and Tiffin, “[We] mistakenly believed that the ownership change would be implemented through the process of filing the renewal applications.”

According to the rules laid out in the Communications Act, “no construction permit or station license, or any rights thereunder, shall be transferred, assigned, or disposed of in any manner … except upon application to the commission… .”

After an investigation, Tiffin and BAS agreed that they violated Section 310 of the Communications Act and Section 73.3540 of the FCC Rules. As a result, BAS agreed to make an $8,000 civil penalty payment to close out the investigation.

 

The post Ohio Broadcaster Pays $8,000 in Consent Decree appeared first on Radio World.

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The National Association of Broadcasters has announced the radio and TV finalists in their 2020 Celebration of Service to America awards. Of corporate owners Townsquare Media, Gray television and Tegna garnered multiple nominations.

The awards, which are for outstanding community service by local broadcasters, were to have been handed out at a June 9 dinner in Washington but will now handed out via a prerecorded tribute that stations can air sometime in August.

The finalists are listed below:

Service to Community Award for Radio — Small Market
Bryan Broadcasting, KNDE(FM), College Station, Texas — 103 Charities
Townsquare Media, WKXW(FM), Trenton, N.J. — New Jersey Judges
Townsquare Media, WKXW(FM), Trenton, N.J. — Feel Better Bears
Milner Media Properties, WYUR(FM), WVLI(FM), WIVR(FM), WFAV(FM), Bourbonnais, Ill. — Serving the Kankakee River Valley

Service to Community Award for Radio — Medium Market
Alpha Media, WSGW(AM/FM), Saginaw, Mich. — Sharing Hope Radiothon
iHeartMedia, WRVE(FM), WGY(AM/FM), Albany, N.Y. — 2019 Cares for Kids Radiothon

Service to Community Award for Radio — Major Market
Bonneville International, KIRO(AM), Seattle — 710 ESPN Seattle and Coaching Boys into Men
Hubbard Broadcasting, KRWM(FM), Seattle/Tacoma — WARM 106.9 Community Activation
Cox Media Group, WSB(AM), Atlanta — 2019 WSB Careathon

Service to Community Award for Television — Small Market
Gray Television, KVLY(TV), Fargo, N.D. — Homeless Kids Need Help
Gray Television, KWQC(TV), Davenport, Iowa — 2019 Flood Relief
Gray Television, WJHG(TV), Panama City, Fla. — Remembering the Forgotten

Service to Community Award for Television — Medium Market
Gray Television, KWTX(TV), Waco, Texas — Food for Families
Tegna, WBIR(TV), Knoxville, Tenn. — The Reality of Suicide
Gray Television, WNDU(TV), South Bend, Ind. — Never Again: Preventing Bus Stop Tragedies
Tegna, WTOL(TV), Toledo, Ohio — 11 Investigates: Guilty Without Proof

Service to Community Award for Television — Large Market
Sinclair Broadcast Group, KABB(TV), WOAI(TV), San Antonio — Show Me Your Bill
Hubbard Broadcasting, KOB(TV), Albuquerque, N.M. — Protecting Our Enchanting Environment
Nexstar Media Group, KXAN(TV), Austin, Texas — Save Our Students: Solutions for Wellness and Safety
Nexstar Media Group, WDAF(TV), Kansas City, Mo. — FOX4 Band of Angels
Graham Media Group, WKMG(TV), Orlando, Fla. — Driving Change: Florida’s Texting and Driving Law

The post NAB Unveils Service to America Finalists appeared first on Radio World.

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